Pentagon vetting troops ahead of Biden's inauguration

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - The Defense Department and the FBI are vetting all members of the National Guard who will be in the nation's capital for incoming US President Joe Biden's inauguration over concerns of a potential insider attack, the Pentagon said Monday.

"While we have no intelligence indicating an insider threat, we are leaving no stone unturned in securing the capital," Acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller said in a statement. "This type of vetting often takes place by law enforcement for significant security events."

About 25,000 National Guard troops are expected in Washington, D.C. for Biden's swearing-in on Wednesday after outgoing President Donald Trump's supporters stormed the US Capitol, overrunning police and temporarily halting the congressional count of Electoral College votes.

In all, five people died in the insurrection, including a Capitol Police officer and an Air Force veteran who was shot by security while attempting to raid the federal legislature. Video from the shooting appears to show Ashli Babbitt attempting to climb through a broken window pane in an attempt to breach the Speaker's Lobby.

Several of more than 100 individuals arrested in connection with the raid have been identified as military veterans.

Miller's statement comes on the heels of multiple reports that the FBI and Pentagon are running the names of each of the 25,000 service members in D.C. through databases and watchlists to mitigate the possibility of a potential attack from within during Biden's inauguration.

At least two people have been arrested at checkpoints erected in the nation's capital so far. Tall gates have been erected around the Capitol building, multiple streets have been closed to traffic in, and multiple bridges from Virginia are being closed.

Scenes from the area that spans the White House and US Capitol are reminiscent of a heavily militarized urban center.